Neighborhood social diversity and metropolitan segregation

ByEmily Talen

A recent summary of hundreds of peer-reviewed articles published in the last decade provides evidence that components of the walkable, diverse neighborhood have positive resident-level effects, in terms of health, social interaction, and safety. Diversity is essential for making sure that groups can share interests and build political effectiveness. Social segregation, by limiting this power, limits the degree to which physical improvements – facilities like schools and parks – are likely to be funded. There are well-developed theories about the essential of neighborhood-based empowerment in sustaining social diversity and place quality. Several proposals have been put forward that run counter to the promotion of neighborhood-scale diversity. One is to focus on a homogeneous neighborhood's external connection. In this view, what matters is how well neighborhoods connect to a larger metropolitan or even global domain, such that their internal homogeneity becomes less of an issue.